Course Proposal Guidelines
I. Summary Description
1. Course
Prefix
 is a two--four letter code assigned to each course;
 is coded to the department and college in the database;
 should be a commonly used acronym that identifies the discipline.
Number
 use a catalog number that has not been used for the past 5 years.
Course Numbering System
Courses are generally numbered according to the plan shown below.
010-099 Non-degree credit or short courses
100-299 Courses primarily for freshman and sophomore students
300-399 Courses primarily for advanced undergraduate students with prerequisite
coursework
400-499 Courses for advanced undergraduates. Certain 400-level courses can be used in
graduate programs.
500-599 Graduate courses.
Common Course Numbers & Identifiers
Courses typically identified by a special character or set of numbers:
E
Courses offered through Continuing Education for academic credit
200
Special Problems for Undergraduates
400
Special Problems for Advanced Undergraduates
461, 462 Senior Project
470, 471 Selected Advanced Topics (470) and Laboratories (471) are offered for one or two
quarters and are not intended for future offerings as a regular course. Use the
"Course Proposal" form.
570, 571 Selected Topics (570) and Laboratories (571) are graduate-level topics offered for
one or two quarters and are not intended for future offerings as a regular course.
Use the "Course Proposal" form.
485, 585 Cooperative Education (part-time)
495, 595 Cooperative Education (full-time)
598
Project
599
Thesis
2/6/2016
Page 1
Title
 should be reflective of the course content and discipline, but not too vague or detailed.
 please note that a truncated version of the title (30 characters) displays in the Schedule
of Classes and on a student’s transcript.
2. Catalog Description (substantive, but no more than 40 words of content description)
Not written in full sentences; phrases such as "this course will help students learn…" should
be eliminated. Note that the catalog editor may edit the description to make it more concise
and consistent with catalog standards.
3.
Prerequisite and/or Concurrent Requirements
300-500 level courses must have one of the following:
 Prerequisites are the knowledge/coursework required to be well-prepared to meet the
course outcomes. "Hidden" prerequisites are to be avoided (“hidden” prerequisites are
courses required as prerequisites for a required course in a program that themselves are
not required or specified).
 Co-requisites are courses that must be taken prior to or at the same time.
 Concurrent courses are two or more courses that must be taken at the same time.
 Other requirements for enrollment, such as a specific major, class level, or completion
of a GE Area.
NOTE: The above requirements will be listed in the catalog description and enforced during
student enrollment.
Other requirements you may want to include are:
“or consent of instructor" allows the instructor to determine if an individual student has the
equivalent knowledge as stated in course prerequisites.
“or equivalent” after a string of specific course prerequisites implies that there may be
another way of demonstrating competencies, such as an Advanced Placement score of 3 or
higher. This term is vague and should not be encouraged.
5. Total Course Units
 Indicate total units, and for courses with more than one mode of instruction, also indicate
number of units per mode. For example, a 4-unit course could be comprised of 3 units of
lecture and 1 unit of activity.
 Course units must be whole numbers, not fractions.
 The standard course unit load is a minimum of four. See below.
Note: All courses taught at Cal Poly, with the exception of those listed below, will be
standardized to four or more units. Courses with fewer than four units may be desirable in
the following cases (AS-453-96/CC).
2/6/2016
Page 2
*
*
*
*
*
activity or laboratory classes (Kinesiology, Art, Music, etc.)
classes taught in the supervision mode (independent study)
orientation classes
library classes
coupled classes (e.g., lecture and labs taken concurrently but listed separately)
To propose a course with fewer than 4 units, explain the benefits of offering the course with
fewer than 4 units [no explanation required if course meets one of the above recognized
exceptions].
Modes of Instruction
 are the following common CSU systemwide indicators used to identify the type of
instruction: lecture (lec), laboratory (lab), activity (act), seminar (sem), independent study
(ind), discussion (dis);
 dictate the number of class meeting hours, faculty workload (wtu), student credit units
(scu), facility utilization & generation.
 Courses may have more than one mode of instruction.
 For courses with more than one mode of instruction indicate number of units per mode.
For example, a course with 3 lectures and 1 activity would have a total number of course
units that equals 4, but would meet for 5 hours in a classroom.
Modes of Instruction:
Lecture
Classes meeting 1 hour for 1 unit of credit—K factor: 1
C-1 Large lecture
C-2 Lecture-Discussion
C-3 Law-Case study
C-4 Composition, Accounting, Mathematics, Logic, Philosophy, Music, Speech,
Foreign Language, Engineering Lecture Problems
Seminar
Classes meeting 1 hour for 1 unit of credit—K factor: 1
C-5 Seminars: more discussion-based than lectures; smaller classes, usually less
than 35 students
Activity
Classes meeting 2 hours for 1 unit of credit—K factor: 1.3
C-7 Art, Anthropology, Science activities
C-8 Education Workshops (includes methods taught on an activity basis in education
and subject areas); Social Science activity; Science demonstration
C-9 Music activity - large group
C-10 Instrumental or vocal instruction
C-11 Physical Education and Recreation activity
C-12 Speech, Drama, and Journalism activities
C-13 Business, Foreign Language, Psychology, Photography, Engineering, Industrial
Arts, Agriculture, Mathematics, Statistics
2/6/2016
Page 3
Laboratories
Classes meeting 3 hours for 1 unit of credit—K factor: 1.5
C-15 Art, Foreign Language, Industrial Arts, Kinesiology
Classes meeting 3 hours for 1 unit of credit—K factor: 2.0
C-16 Science, Psychology, Natural Resources, Agriculture, Engineering, Photography
Classes meeting more than 3 hours for 1 unit of credit—K factor: 6.0
C-18 Coaching major intercollegiate sports
Classes meeting more than 3 hours for 1 unit of credit—K factor: 3.0
C-19 Coaching minor intercollegiate sports
C-20 Production courses or workshops in: Drama, Music (resulting in a major public
performance, showing or distribution)
C-21 Music - major performance groups
Supervision (Independent Study)
Allowance for supervisory staff (Only for courses providing individual supervision)
S-25 Undergraduate level: Supervision of directed teaching and public school nursing
S-36 Supervision of field work: Senior Project supervision
S-25 Graduate level: Supervision of directed teaching; Supervision of field work; Theses
and projects
Carnegie Unit of Credit
A unit of credit represents how much time a typical student is expected to devote to learning
per week of study, and the minimum is one unit for three hours of student work per week.
One Unit of Credit equals:
1 hour of lecture (seminar, recitation) and two of study, or
2 hours of activity and one of study, or
3 hours of laboratory, or 3 hours of independent study (supervision).
6.
Grading Type:
Regular: Student receives a letter grade
Credit/NC: If specified for a course, all students in the course receive either credit or no
credit and these units do not count in the total number of Credit/NC units a student can elect
to take.
7. General Education: Go to the GE website
http://ge.calpoly.edu/facultyandstaff/gecourseproposalprocess.html
Courses proposed for GE are reviewed by GE committees separately from their review by
College Curriculum Committees and the Academic Senate.
8.
USCP: Go to the USCP website
http://www.academicprograms.calpoly.edu/academicpolicies/Policies-Undergrad/USCPpolicy.htm
Courses proposed for USCP are reviewed by the USCP subcommittee of the Academic
Senate Curriculum Committee.
2/6/2016
Page 4
9. Crosslisted Courses
 are shared by two or more academic units;
 have identical course elements (number, title, description, units, mode of instruction,
prerequisites) except the course prefix which reflects the academic units;
 are interchangeable for degree requirements;
 cannot be repeated for degree credit under separate prefixes;
 may be scheduled with the same instructor, room, and meeting pattern;
 may be scheduled with all, some, or one of the course prefix.
Example: HNRS 141/MATH 141 Calculus I
To crosslist a course:
 If the course has never been taught under any of the course prefixes, propose as a New
Course. Use the "Course Proposal" form and get signatures from all participating
department chairs and college deans.
 If the course is an approved course in the catalog and additional department(s) want to
crosslist the course, use a "Course Modification" form and get signatures from all
participating department chairs and college deans. Forward the signed Course Modification
form to Office of the Registrar.
10. Repeatable Courses
 may be repeated for credit.
 Example: MU 170 Jazz Band (1 unit) repeatable to 6 units
 Note: the term "repeatable" does not refer to the action taken by a student when a course
is repeated for grade improvement
 Identify whether a course is repeatable in the same term. For example, a student may
take more than one section of a subtitle course during a term when the course is
scheduled with different subtitles.
11. Subtitle Courses
Courses that are taught with different subtitles are referred to as "Subtitle Courses," and

provide an "umbrella" for topics of closely related course content, learning outcomes and assessment
methodologies;

are valuable for creating a course that makes use of timely issues and requires a fast-tracked approval
process;

courses that a department wishes to offer occasionally;

are shown in the catalog with generic "umbrella" titles but are offered under specific subtitles in the Class
Schedule;

appear on students' transcripts with the specific subtitle;

are usually repeatable with a different subtitle; and

are valid for the life of the "umbrella" course.

Example of a Subtitle Course: ENGL 439 Significant British Authors (4 units) repeatable to 12 units with
different subtitles (e.g., "Jane Austen," "Victorian Poets," "Blake," "Hardy.")
2/6/2016
Page 5
Proposal Processes for Adding Subtitles to an Existing Subtitle Course:
 Send an email to Mary Whiteford (mwhitefo@calpoly.edu) with copies to the
department chair, college associate dean.
 Approved course subtitles are forwarded to Class Scheduling.
 For General Education subtitle (rubric) courses, please refer to the GE web site.
12. Replacement / Substitute Course
 is similar in content to the prior course which will no longer be offered;
 is coded as the replacement for the prior course in the database and degree audit
program;
 meets a prior or current catalog curriculum requirement;
 allows repeats to automatically process (if a student failed the prior course, he/she may
use the replacement course as a repeat course);
 has a different course number than the prior course;
 may have a different title, unit value, course description and/or prerequisite.
Example: ENGL 215 Writing: Argumentation replaced by ENGL 145 Reasoning,
Argumentation and Writing
Note: if the course number, title, units, level and/or prerequisites change, but the catalog
course description remains the same the course will be treated as a replacement for the
prior course. If the department determines that the course is not a replacement for a prior
course, the catalog course description must be changed.
(This information is needed for students, advisers, community college articulations, and
Office of Academic Records.)
13. Course Classification Number (CS)
 is a CSU systemwide code assigned to all courses.
You may enter the CS number(s) or Academic Programs staff will assign CS number(s).See
possible modes of instruction (above).
I. Purpose of Course
A. Where does the proposed course fit within the curriculum (major, support,
concentration, etc)?
Major, required: courses
 comprise the basic knowledge in the discipline and are required of all students in the
major;
 have the prefix of the major program and/or college;
 may be from any other prefix or discipline which are required in the major field of study;
 count toward the Major GPA;
 include common core courses that are at least half of the required number of units in the
major;
2/6/2016
Page 6
Major, elective:
 not required, but is a choice students may make.
Types of Electives:
Approved Electives:
 allow students to choose from a list of courses designated by the programs' faculty.
Technical Electives:
 allow students in technical majors (engineering, architecture, etc.) to choose from a list of
courses designated by the program’s faculty.
Restricted Electives:
 same as "approved electives."
Directed Electives:
 same as "approved electives."
Free Electives:
 Free electives are courses chosen solely by the student with no curricular restrictions.
 The Academic Senate resolution on Free Electives (AS-609-04/CC) allows departments
to reduce the number of free electives in their majors below the minimum of 8/9 units,
provided that justification is provided. An acceptable justification, in the eyes of the
Academic Senate Curriculum Committee and of Academic Programs, is that the free
electives are being reduced in order to move the total number of units required for
graduate closer toward the CSU minimum of 180.
 This resolution supercedes the earlier resolution (AS-234-87/CC) which required that all
baccalaureate curricula contain a minimum of 9 units of free electives.
Concentrations:
 are a coherent and specialized course of study within a student's major degree program
which presupposes knowledge of the major discipline;
 are a formally recognized course of study with program requirements stated in the
catalog and "official" curriculum displays (electronic and paper);
 may not require the same course in each concentration (the course should be included in
the major core);
 are indicated in the CSU Admission Booklet;
 are noted on the student's transcript, but not shown on the diploma;
 require a minimum of five designated courses and a maximum of less than 50% of the
total units in the major;
 are optional and not required in all baccalaureate programs (curricula that offer
concentrations should allow students the choice to select either a concentration, or
approved electives, or a minor to complete their major course requirements).
Specializations:
Specializations are defined as an aggregate of courses within a graduate degree program
designed to give a student specialized knowledge, competence, or skill. As outlined in E.O.
2/6/2016
Page 7
283 a special emphasis must be related to an approved graduate degree major program on
campus by a common core requirement of at least three courses.
Minor:
A minor consists of 24 to 30 units with at least half of the units must be from upper-division
courses (300- or 400-level) and at least half of the units must be taken at Cal Poly.
Support Courses
 are any specified courses that are not listed in the major;
 do not carry the prefix of the home department;
 do not count in the Major gpa;
 are optional depending on the nature of the degree program and the judgment of the
program's faculty;
 which fulfill General Education requirements shall be listed in the support course category
with a reference (as an asterisk) to the GE area.
B. Need
Briefly explain the need for this new course (e.g., changes in the discipline/profession,
based on review of assessment data, etc.). Describe how the course aligns with program
learning objectives.
II. Course Learning Objectives, Assessment, Content
A. Course Learning Objectives and Assessment Methods
What should students know or be able to do after taking this course? What assessment
methods will be used?
B. Expanded Course Content
Provide a week-by-week outline (readings, discussion topics, lab experiments, activities,
assignments, etc.)
III. Consultation
A. Attach signed consultation memos (link to actual form from website) from any other
departments that will be affected by the new course or its prerequisites.
When is another department affected by the new course or its prerequisites?
 when a prerequisite is in another department and may impact their resource allocations,
course enrollment and section planning,
 when the course content duplicates the content of an existing course,
 when a course is a support requirement for another program.
B. List all courses that already cover any significant part of the planned subject matter of this
course either within the department or from other departments. Explain why duplication of
subject matter is necessary. Attach signed consultation memos from any other departments
with which there will be significant duplication.
2/6/2016
Page 8
C. Contact your College Librarians (http://lib.calpoly.edu/research/librarians/) and share your
new course proposal with him/her. Your College Librarian will comment on the library’s ability
to support this new course. Attach those comments to this form. Thirty (30) days’ notice is
recommended.
IV. Resources (in consultation with the Dept Head/Chair and College
Dean/Associate Dean)
B. Explain the impact of this new course on allocation of current/new resources.
Equipment (List new equipment needed.)
Supplies (List new supplies needed.)
Facilities (List type of teaching environment needed.)
Faculty (List the names faculty members who will initially teach the course.)
Information Technology (List computer facilities and software needed)
Instructional Materials and Accessibility (Does this course meet CSU accessibility
requirements?)
2/6/2016
Page 9